


Trusted Partners - 1st Draft

by Rogue_Mutt



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26575162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue_Mutt/pseuds/Rogue_Mutt
Summary: Papyrus is told to meet Undyne at her house later this evening. He assumes this is to confess her undying love to him. He arrives to turn her down, but there is more to her request than he had anticipated.An Underfell shortstory
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. An Invitation

“Sans, I believe Undyne is madly in love with me.”

At his home in Snowdin, Papyrus shared with his brother his recent revelation. He waited for a response before Sans started to cackle. “B-boss, I can buy Undyne being mad, but…” he wheezed again. “but… in love!? Ha ha! In love with y…”

Papyrus gave him a cold stare with his arms crossed. Suddenly his brother wasn’t so amused, and he started coughing.

“Well, anyway, I don’t think Undyne is the type of person to fall in love with someone, _anyone_ really.” He added extra emphasis as though to say he wasn’t talking about him specifically.

Papyrus chose to ignore the ploy. “Well I shall remind you I am not just _someone_ , nor am I just _anyone_. The Great and Terrible Papyrus is a worthy suitor everyone can admire and desire. Only now is someone courageous enough to confess their affections for me.”

He thought he caught a glimpse of his brother rolling his eyes at that, but saw nothing when he narrowed his eyes at him. But then, his expression was the opposite of innocent of the gesture. It looked as though he were ready to burst out laughing again as he did earlier, only barely containing himself with his brother’s unnerving glare.

“So Undyne confessed, huh?” He asked.

“No, she didn’t.” Papyrus replied.

“So she’s probably not in love with you then.”

“I’ll have you know I have every confidence that she is.” He noticed Sans’s grin show up on his face for just a moment before disappearing again. He might not have noticed at all were it not for the glint coming off his gold tooth every time he chose to grin or smile. Yet once more, Papyrus could only rely on suspicions. As usual.

“I’ll bite.” Sans said. “How are you so sure she’s in love with you?”

Papyrus ran his hand over his face while sighing.

“If you must know,” he made no attempt to hide the disdain he felt. “Undyne told me to meet her at her house later this evening. She said to come alone and that I was the only one I could trust. Does that satisfy you?”

Sans paused as if to think. The skepticism was obvious by his posture. Leave it to him to have doubts even after hearing hard evidence. He waited for some sarcastic remark or unamusing witticism.

“She really said that?” Papyrus was surprised it was neither a grin nor a laugh his brother showed, but an expression he could only describe as – dare he say – thoughtful.

“That’s right.” Despite the unanticipated reaction, he didn’t act like he was caught off guard. Now his brother looked like he was really soaking in this information. He wondered how he felt about this revelation.

He thought back to how he felt earlier this morning when Undyne originally broached the subject. He had noticed something was distracting her during their exercise but chose to ignore it, thinking it was some private matter she would bounce back from. It was only after they’d finished and he was about to head home when she told him what was on her mind. Deciphering the meaning behind her words was simple enough, what truly took him time to think of on his walk home was what _he_ felt about it.

Undyne was a vicious and cruel fighter, second only to King Asgore himself. Everyone in the kingdom knew that. But during their time together, Papyrus was able to gleam more about her. They didn’t usually talk, both of them being busy with training and other guard duties, but occasionally they’d exchange a few words and open up with each other. Most of the time he would talk about his day or the latest failure on his brother’s part to meet his expectations. Sometimes though he would be curious enough to ask something about her, and once in a while, she would answer.

She was a talented pianist, who would often take the time to play a gentle tune at home and lose herself at the soft melodies. On a bad day the song would be more aggressive and energized. If he ever broached the subject though, she would deny it. If anyone else did, they never did again. She’d also share how Alphys had recently gotten her into “Anime,” a term he was still unfamiliar with. From what he could gather, it involved something about cartoons and giant swords. Once he asked how she lost her eye. She didn’t answer, and they hadn’t spoken for a week after.

Overall, he did have to admit she was a desirable partner, almost enough to make him regret not sharing her affections.

“I’ll be going to her house later today,” Papyrus continued. “and I’ll have to break her heart and decline her request for romance. If I ever intend to move up the ranks of the Royal Guard, I must ensure our relationship remain as it is. She is Captain of the Royal Guard, if word were to spread about our romantic acquaintance, no one would ever take my position seriously, assuming my success came only from her favor.”

Sans shrugged. “Some people say she only became captain from the king’s favor.”

“Well those people are wrong, and stupid.” His response came out quickly and with a hint of anger. He wondered how he nearly lost his composure over that statement but brushed it off. “Anyway, this requires my immediate attention. Any delay could hinder the status quarrel.”

He saw the glint of his grin reappear on its face. “Don’t you mean, ‘status quo?’”

Words he wanted to respond with were words he wouldn’t disgrace himself by stating aloud. “Whatever, Sans. I’ll be gone for a while. Don’t forget to finish your patrol, feed your rock,” he peered over behind the couch and glowered. “and pick up your damn sock!”

Sans laid his head against the couch and closed his eyes. “You got it boss. Have fun breaking the captain’s heart.”

Papyrus was about to respond when Sans started snoring. If he either had skin or blood, he was sure a vein would appear on his forehead. Even while sleeping, that smug grin was still on his face, unwavering as though he were wearing a mask. It irritated him enough for him to assume he was doing it on purpose, or that in whatever dream he was having right now, he was probably irritating him in spectacular ways.

“Some brother I have.” Papyrus muttered to himself.

He shook his head before heading to the door. A cold breeze entered the house as he opened the door. He took one last look at his brother, dozing on the couch without a care in the world. Again, he was afraid to leave him alone, as though this was the last time he would ever get the chance to see him.

He shut the door and made sure to lock it.


	2. Coffee Talk

The walk out of Snowdin and through Waterfall was uneventful. He took his usual route, avoiding areas he knew were populated with the more dangerous monsters. There were a few monsters encountered along the way, but they quickly disappeared just as soon as they were seen. Papyrus was a member of the Royal Guard, and confrontations with any of them always ended up dusty.

It wasn’t the quickest route, but he soon arrived at a quiet clearing. The pond at the center glimmered with a blood red hue, shining from the rare rubies fallen from the ceiling over the years like all the other bodies of water. The rest of the caverns were shining with even more rubies, dotting the ceiling like red stars. Papyrus, as well as most monsters, have never even seen stars, and would probably never get the chance to do so. A few monsters even realize that every day there are just a few less rubies sticking from the cavern, and that one day, monsters won’t have their fabricated starlight.

Papyrus dismissed the scenery and kept going. Undyne’s house was only a stone’s throw away, and it seemed to greet him as he came closer. The house wasn’t the biggest he’d seen, even smaller than his own being only one story. But he had to admit it looked more imposing than any other building he’d come across. The structure was shaped like the head of a giant fish. Its eyes were windows, the mouth was the door, and the outer walls were dotted with black scales. He never knew who even constructed it, but whoever did was either a talented architect or a sadist. Likely both.

He scraped his boots on the doormat out of habit and knocked on the teeth, long and sharp like spearheads. He turned to look at the busted dummy next to the front door, propped against the wall. Undyne must’ve had a rough day, noticing new vicious tears on the fabric of the mannequin. For a moment, he wondered whether coming over to break things off with her was a wise decision for his health.

Before he could decide, the mouth of the house opened, and he was greeted by a familiar snarl. He was relieved to see it relax as she saw who was at the door.

“Oh, you’re here.” She leaned from side to side, looking behind him with an inquisitive eye. “Were you followed? Anyone tailing you?”

Even for her this was being paranoid, but Papyrus assumed love was dulling her senses. “No, no one followed me. No one will disturb us.”

She eyed him at the last part, as though questioning his honesty. He tried not to, but out of instinct, his eyes darted to the scar on her face where her left eye should be. The area was hollow, like his own eyes, only there was still some soft, grey flesh inside. Usually she had an eyepatch to cover the scar, but she always discarded it when at home. Her armor was abandoned as well, instead sporting a worn tank top and jeans. The scent he detected suggested it had been some time since she had washed those very clothes. If only a lack of nose meant a lack of sense of smell.

After a moment, she seemed satisfied with his answer and bade him to enter. She waved for him to enter quickly as though anyone would see them and he picked up the pace. The door shut behind them as Papyrus took a good look at the inside of the house.

He’d been in her home a few times before, but he never could get past the mess of it all. The floor was covered specks of dirt in the shapes of boot bottoms, and the tile itself was worn and chipped in many areas. Dust covered many corners of the house and the kitchen table. Although – as he noticed – seeing a large concentration of it dotted around the stovetop, it could just as easily be ash. One thing that wasn’t covered in either was the piano on the left side of the house, which although many parts of the instrument were dirty, the keys themselves were clean and polished, implying frequent use. He also saw a large sword, easily taller than he was, leaning against the wall on the right side of the house. The lack of scabbard and the spots of rust on the blade also suggested a lack of care and maintenance.

Sometimes when he came in, he would imagine this was what his own house would appear should he allow Sans free reign. A strong contributing factor to why he would encourage (or demand) sanitation on his brother’s part.

“I was worried you wouldn’t show.” She walked in front of him, looking back at him with a small smile. “But I guess I really can trust you with anything, huh.”

Papyrus wasn’t sure whether it was the nearly inhospitable environment or what he was about to do, but he was beginning to consider turning back now and forgetting the whole exchange. He quickly dismissed the idea, realizing quitting in the middle of a task would set a dreadful example to his brother should he find out, which he had no doubt he would if such a thing were to occur. He’d never hear the end of it, so he had to lead by example.

“Of course, Captain.” His body straightened like a pole and he held his right hand to his chest in a salute.

“At ease, Papyrus.” She shook her head as he relaxed his posture. “We aren’t monitored here, and there’s no one else but us. So just call me Undyne.”

It wasn’t the first time she had to tell him that, but muscle memory would usually get the better of him. And usually when she told him, there was the unsubtle hint of agitation in her tone. This time, she sounded patient, if not a bit nervous. Even… pleasant.

He really was about to break her heart.

“As you say, Ca… Undyne.”

She ignored the stumble in his words and paced around the room. “So, you’re probably wondering why I called you here.” She turned away with her hands tentatively clasped together. “I’ve… been thinking a lot lately, and there’s… something I want to ask you.”

Papyrus attempted to make his words as professional and to the point as he could. He could not be gentle, but being harsh would not be to his benefit either. “I know exactly why you’ve summoned me.”

He heard the faintest sound of a gasp as she paused. It soon turned into a gentle laugh, and he noticed her fists clench and heard “stupid” come twice from her mouth as quiet as a breath. She seemed to regain composure just as soon as she lost it and pointed to the table.

“Why don’t we take a seat?” She suggested. “I have coffee ready.”

He didn’t notice coffee boiling on the stovetop, but then saw the fridge and remembered. For reasons he would never understand, Undyne had Alphys construct a fridge designed to keep products hot rather than cold. Redundant, he thought, considering there was also a stovetop directly next to it as well.

He made none of these comments, however, and sat down as she suggested. A gust of warm wind blew from the fridge as she opened it, pulling two cups of coffee, the trails of steam showing it was still warm. He declined to add cream or sugar as she offered and was handed his cup. She sat down and took her first sip, not even waiting for the drink to cool.

Undyne was the first to speak after a long, uncomfortable pause. “I guess I was pretty obvious, huh?” She asked with the ghost of a smile on her face. She kept on without a response. “It’s a good thing I actually trust you then, or else you would have told Asgore for sure. Without me around, you’d become the new Captain for sure.”

Papyrus recoiled at the comment. It was no secret to himself he was more than capable of moving up the ranks, but to hear it from Undyne…

“But, that just means I was right about you all along.” There was no longer any hint of a smile on her face. Dare he say, she was now beaming, and even though the lighting in the house was dim, she could see a sparkle in her eye. “You and I are a team; we can do anything together!”

“Undyne…” But she kept on going even as he said.

“I’ve been a guard my whole life you know. I got a lot of respect from the guard and citizens, but I could never trust anyone. You know how the guard is. If you show weakness, you’re good as dead.”

“Undyne…”

“But you and your brother must know that better than anyone. That’s why I knew I could trust you. You and your brother are always in danger, you and I both have to act so strong all the time even when we’re weaker than we’ve ever been.”

There was a tear in her eye, Papyrus saw. This had gone on long enough.

“But together, we’re stronger than any of them! We can-“

His palms slammed against the table. “Undyne, I must decline your offer!”

He had stood up fast enough that the chair almost fell from under him. It took all his efforts to put a glare onto Undyne, who was blinking in surprise. He tried to study that look on her face.

When he decided to come over to tell her he wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship, he imagined she would be devastated, maybe even shed a tear or two. Then, knowing Undyne, she’d get mad, throw some furniture around and hot-red spears while he narrowly avoided them. Admittedly he hadn’t thought much about what might happen after that, but he was sure they would remain mutual acquaintances by the end of the unpleasant evening one way or another.

Only right now, she wasn’t doing any of that. He wasn’t as good as his brother was at reading expressions, and it was an enigma what that look was supposed to mean. Confusion? Fear? Mild disappointment? He had only just desired for her to say something before she finally spoke one word.

“What?” Her tone was almost as mysterious as her expression, but Papyrus detected the disbelief he anticipated. He knew the longer he waited, the harder it would be to break things off with her. And while he couldn’t have her as a love interest, he needed her as a companion.

“I’m… afraid I can’t be the skeleton you want me to be.” He chose his words carefully, less his limbs get torn or broken. “I understand that with our time together, you would begin feeling attached toward me. I admit I miscalculated the time required for the desire to feel for me were to become too strong for you to resist. However, while you do posses admirable qualities, I am not searching for a romantic relationship. It pains me to tell you, being that you are the first monster to confess their deepest feelings toward me, I cannot, nor do I have the desire to, return those emotions. I, the Great and Terrible Papyrus, can only serve as a loyal, dedicated member of the Royal Guard. So whatever future you may have dreamed for us, I implore you to dismiss them now.”

He had to say that came out well. He had a speech prepared which he practiced on his way over. That and with a little extra embellishment on his part seemed to portray himself as quite humble. It wasn’t the appearance he normally strived for, but the situation called for desperate measures.

He studied Undyne’s expression once more to see if he could recognize any of the anticipated emotions. But once again, it was nothing which suggested she was angry or distraught. He did recognize the expression, which both puzzled him and infuriated him with the familiarity.

It was the same kind of expression Sans wore whenever he was trying not to laugh.

As if on cue, a wide grin appeared on her face, soon followed by laughter. “You… You thought I… with you!?”

She spoke between breaths before finally giving up, resorting to just continue her moment of hysteria. Papyrus took note of her laughter and how she had slapped her knee during the scene. Sure, he’d heard many people laugh plenty of times, most of all from Sans who’s laughter seemed to kill a bit of his soul every time he heard it. And even Undyne would sometimes laugh during training, usually when she was feeling particularly confident or boastful. But this time was different, and he couldn’t figure why it was.

It then dawned on him suddenly after seeing her laughing so hard she was still struggling to breathe, that this was the first time he had seen her so happy. Maybe it was the first time he saw such genuine joy out of anyone in a long time. And for whatever reason, he got to see it now because he told her he couldn’t return her romantic feelings. Correct him if he was wrong (and rare is the time when he’s wrong), but weren’t rejections supposed to be heartbreaking? At least something that wouldn’t get a response such as this.

The moment seemed to pass after only a few moments, before Undyne started speaking again. “Papyrus, you’re the toughest, most dedicated monster I’ve ever known in my life. But your really can be a bonehead a lot of times.”

There was still a bit of humor in her tone, much to his confusion and annoyance, but also a bit of gentle patience too. It was like how Sans would talk whenever he needed to explain something he thought he would have trouble understanding.

His confusion was beginning to transform into irritation.

“What is it you know that I don’t? I’ve already told you that I won’t pursue romantic relations with you, so what more do you want?” His bony fingers were tapping against the table. His composure was one of the many qualities he admired, but Undyne was wearing it thin. “Well, what is it!?”

A bit of the patience from Undyne seemed to melt at his agitated remarks. Her expression now was at least familiar to him, if not desirable.

“I’m not in love with you, god dammit. That’s not…” She growled, drinking her coffee like it was a hard drink. She then slammed the cup so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t shatter. “That’s not why I asked you to come over you idiot. I… I need your help with something.”

Papyrus was close to asking her to repeat herself, because he could have sworn he had just misheard her. It sounded like she was asking for his help. Sure, his aid or wisdom was certainly something for anyone to be desired, but Undyne wasn’t someone who asked _anyone_ for help. She would lose an arm and a leg as well as her one good eye before stooping such a level. But before he could ask for her to repeat, she finally told him what was on her mind.

“I want your help to kill Asgore.”

Papyrus’s body froze. His tapping against the table stopped, and his gaze was fixed on Undyne. _No, she couldn’t have just said that_ , he thought. But there was no smile on her lips, no glee in her eye, nothing from her that suggested she was anything less than serious.

Was she really asking him to help her kill the king of all monsterkind? He could’ve sworn there was a word for that which he couldn’t recall now. Something starting with an R? Already he was picturing Asgore’s massive figure, taller than even he was by at least a head. His fur was a ghostly white while his beard was blacker than darkness. And his eyes, red, but not bloodshot, bore into him like daggers even by his own imagining him. And he was angry. He was angry at Undyne – angry at him for even talking to her about usurpation. Oh the things he would do to him, Undyne, and Sans. Especially Sans.

“Say something!”

A shout from Undyne snapped Papyrus from his daydream, though it was more of a waking nightmare. His eyes were now more focused on her, looking back at him, waiting for his reply.

 _Stupid_ , he thought. He wondered why seeing Asgore hadn’t frightened her the way it did him, forgetting the fact that was only his own imagining. He glared at the hollow point of her face where her left eye should have been. Why wasn’t losing an eye as a child enough for her to see some sense? If she tried to do what she said she was going to, the king surely would not stop at making her blind.

“What.” He only managed one word, still processing what was happening.

She growled, baring her teeth like she wanted to chomp a piece of her table, or gnaw on a bone. “Say something about what I just said!” She demanded.

Her mind was made up. Somehow, he could already tell. Like she said, she had been thinking a lot about this. She had more reason to hate and fear Asgore than anyone he knew. The things she had seen him do and have had done to her was surely more than any living being should have the right to bare. Yet here she was, suggesting the two of them go toe to toe with him.

He had to convince her to stop. He just had to.

“You actually think the two of us could take down the king of all monsters?” Maybe putting himself down would convince her to stop, as much as knocking himself down a peg hurt his own soul. Undyne definitely could not face Asgore alone, so convincing her that he would not be joining her might bring some sense into her.

But Undyne seemed to have a response to that planned already.

“It won’t just be the two of us.” She said. A small, reassuring smile appeared on her lips. “I’ve been asking around the guard in secret. Plenty of people hate the guy almost as much as I do. Some won’t revolt no matter what, but I think there’s a bunch who will help us out if we stand up to him.”

Papyrus lingered on the word “think.” It sounded like she wasn’t as confident as she wanted to be. He tried to exploit this. “Like who?” He asked.

Undyne crossed her arms to think. “Well, Gerson and Asgore share history together, but Gerson’s stood by me in the past. Dogamy and Dogaressa, two guards trying to have a relationship together, the unit from-“

“Shut up!” Papyrus suddenly lost his composure. He took a deep breath regaining it. “Asgore is our king. The Royal Guard is honor bound to defend him at any and all cost. You are the Captain of that guard. What you are even suggesting is treason. The king and Guard have killed for less. So this plan of yours I thought I heard you tell me, I am mistaken. I am going back to my post in Snowdin. I am sure you have your own work to do.”

Hopefully his absence will be enough to convince her to stop. He turned away and started heading out to the door.

“Coward.”

He stopped just as the teeth opened to let him through. He turned back around to see the most hateful glare from Undyne he’d seen. The look on her face would normally have unnerved him, but for some reason it was only making him sad.

“What did you just say?” He asked.

Undyne rose from her seat, showing him her nails dug into her palms. “You coward. Every day everyone wakes up at home, wondering if today will be the last day of their lives. How long will it be before you or your brother turns to dust? I know you and I can do this. Not think, know. I’ve trained with Asgore for most of my life; I know what it looks like when someone isn’t giving it their all.”

Papyrus remained silent, listening to her while she berated him. She had no idea how truthful her words were. If he really wanted to, he could kill her right now. He could kill Asgore or any other monster with ease. But it wasn’t Asgore he was really afraid of – it was that power.

“I’m telling you,” she continued. “that if we took him on together, we can beat him. And you’d just walk away. Coward.”

Something about the way she called him that again snapped something in Papyrus. His response came out of reflex, and he felt angry. Angry that she had the audacity to call him that after everything he’d been through, everything he does to keep himself and his brother safe, even alive. He didn’t mean to snap at her the way he did, he really didn’t. But it all came out just the same.

“Oh that’s rich, coming from you!” He roared. “It’s so easy for you to call me ‘coward’ and act all brave and smart! Do you have any idea what it’s like for me and my brother!? One scrape from an attack can kill him and killing doesn’t even make him stronger! I have to act all tough and brutish every day or else someone will kill him! Of course you want to kill Asgore since you have nothing to lose! No family! No friends! No…”

His last word trailed into nothingness along with his sudden rage. He then realized Undyne had started crying. Her teeth glared and she tried to inhale to fight it, but they came out all the same. Her right eye was beginning to redden, and even her left socket was quivering as though it was trying to produce tears too. Immediately, he wanted to apologize, but she spoke up.

“You’re right.” She said. “I’ve got nothing to lose.” She gasped as though forcing down a sobbing fit. “But you do.”

He saw her beat down that grief with anger and recoiled when that eye glared hatefully at him. “If you tell Asgore about what I said, you won’t have to look forward to becoming the next Captain. I’ll fucking kill you, and your brother. Now get out.”

 _I’m sorry_ stuck to his mind, but it would never form into words. He’d done what he wanted to. He was sure Undyne wouldn’t go after Asgore now. She would still be alive, and so would his brother. That’s the only thing that mattered. He was a shitty person, like everyone else.

He stepped out of the house and heard the door slam shut behind him. He looked over at the ragged dummy and glared at it. A sharp, pointed red bone materialized into his hand, and he plunged the tip deep into the head. He would’ve done much more if he wasn’t loathed to be anywhere near Undyne when he could hear her crying from where he was.

With a disgruntled huff, he strolled away, headed toward home.


	3. Taking a Shortcut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, in case you were hoping for Undyrus stuff, sorry to disappoint. Maybe some other time. Anyway, let's continue.

“Who goes there!?”

Papyrus turned with a glare, his sockets emitting a red glow. He was ready to unleash his magic with a wave of his hands, striking at any would-be attacker. A pair of hands appeared in submission from behind a rock. The monster stepped out and Papyrus allowed himself to relax.

“What the hell are you doing here Sans? I almost…” He was about to say he almost killed him, his only brother. And although his magic wasn’t poised to be lethal, it would certainly have been enough to kill Sans if he didn’t show restraint.

“I… well, you see, Boss,” his brother began. “there was this guy at the house and he was doing some graffiti. I chase him off cause he was really vandalizing our nice broken down wall. Anyway I follow him into Waterfall but I lost him and then I-“

“How much did you hear?” Papyrus had no doubt Sans had come up with some fantastic excuse that would make for an amusing story to share with his lowlife friends back at Grillby’s. But he was in no mood to hear it.

Sans opened his mouth as though to refute the idea, but seeing his brother’s expression seemed to convince him against it. He looked down guiltily like he was appreciating one of the shiny red rubies on the dirt buried under his slipper.

“Enough.” He finally said.

Papyrus let out a tired sigh. Of course his brother was lazy whenever he wanted him to pick up his sock or perform his guardly duties without napping, but leave him at home alone for an evening, and he gets the idea to investigate his brother’s private affairs. He ought to be furious, berate his brother the way he usually did. He could have gotten himself killed, and Papyrus would be none the wiser until he came home without his brother there.

But he was too tired for it. There was just too much on his mind and he needed to go home and try to forget the whole unpleasant evening ever happened.

“Just come along.” He said.

He waved for Sans to join him as he turned back around.

“Uh… home’s the other way.” Sans called after him.

“We’re taking the ferry this time.”

Papyrus heard his brother snort. “Seriously? Riverperson? I know he offers free rides to people, but don’t you know how his passengers always get lighter purses when they ride his boat?”

He ignored the comment and continued marching forward. The boat was the quickest way home, and he would leave his purse with all it’s contents on the boat as payment for making the trip as quick and painless as possible. It was just as he wondered if his brother would follow that he turned around and saw Sans catching up behind him. He looked back forward, taking long, quick steps.

“You okay bro?” Sans asked.

Rare is the time when he ever called him that, even at home. He only ever used the word whenever something was on his mind or he was really worried about him. Usually when Papyrus asked, Sans would dismiss it and say it was nothing, or vice versa. If Papyrus turned around, he’d probably see that smile his brother would give him when they were younger, whenever he would let him know everything would be alright.

“I’m fine.” He kept his eyes forward.

He was sure his brother would have pressured him for another conversation, but he stayed silent. Neither of them said anything for a while.

When they arrived at a crossroads, Papyrus stopped. His brother stopped behind him, waiting patiently with his hands in his coat pockets. Papyrus knew to his left was Gerson’s house, an old Royal Guard veteran who sold “artifacts” from the junkyard. Either straight ahead or to his right led to the dock where Riverperson would linger, waiting for would-be passengers. He wasn’t sure, as this wasn’t a route he usually took.

He supposed he could ask Gerson or maybe…

It was when he looked towards Gerson’s house that he noticed a red light flash in the distance where they came from. Whether it was his guardly training or his brotherly instincts honed for many years, he moved between the light and his brother.

No sooner had he done so than did a red spear embed itself into his chest.


	4. Close Encounter

It sounded horrible as the spearhead punctured Papyrus’s chestplate, like scraping steel with a razor. The plate absorbed most of the impact, but he felt the tip brush through his ribcage and scrape against his spine. He turned around to be sure the tip hadn’t reached his brother, relieved to see him safe. He could faintly see a glowing spearhead poke from the back of his armor.

If he had a heart, it would be beating a million miles a second right now. It was a miracle the spear missed him so narrowly. If the spear made direct contact against his spine, he’d be a pile of dust right now. He owed whoever designed his armor his deepest gratitude after this was all over.

He brought his attention in front of him, seeing a figure in the distance approaching them. Undyne, no doubt about it.

She was wearing her armor, the finest in all the kingdom save for the king’s own suit. Jet-black plate with sharp edges on the gauntlets and pauldrons. Her boots made a thundering metallic _clang_ with each step, as she slowly walked toward him. And if he looked at her boots hard enough, he could almost see a faint trail of dust following her after each step. Her right eye shined even from where he stood, yellow, glaring at him with menace.

Papyrus grabbed hold of the magic spear and started pulling it out, careful not to hit his ribcage along the way. The spearhead was stuck at the front of his chestplate, which was shocking when he finally noticed how large the hole was. He grabbed the spear with both hands and grunted before he snapped the spear in half, fading the weapon into nothingness.

He tensed when he saw Undyne continuing her approach.

“Sans, go home. Now.”

He had no idea what was with Undyne right now. But whatever it was, it was clear she was going after his brother. Sans hadn’t noticed the attack coming. If he didn’t intervene when he did, his brother would be dead right now.

Papyrus didn’t wait for a response as he summoned a pair of red bones with a wave of his hands. He raised his weapons toward Undyne as she approached, positioning his feet into a more balanced posture. She responded in kind, summoning a spear of her own and walked with the tip aimed at him. Closer and closer she came, slowly closing the distance between them.

Only when she was within thirty meters did she break into a sprint. From the distance, she was deceptively quick, especially in her full-plate armor. He was barely able to react before she was within striking distance, raising her spear to strike. He raised both of his weapons to parry, but realized too late as the spearhead withdrew like a viper’s head. She feinted and left him wide open. His arms were slow to descend as she made a quick swipe with the butt of her spear, slamming into the side of his chestplate. The blunt force pushed him to his left, knocking him against the wall. He was just about to counter when he saw her left-hand curve into half a heart shape. No sooner did green energy pulse from her hand did Papyrus’s legs fail him.

His counter passed harmlessly in front of her, unable to close the distance. He glared at her, and he could swear she was feeling the slightest bit of smug pride at how helpless she made him. She was a master when it came to green magic, preventing monsters from moving so long as she stayed focused. He wasn’t moving from where he was so long as her hand kept that careful posture.

Frustrated, Papyrus hurled his bones at Undyne, who effortlessly batted the tools aside. She then turned away from him, facing Sans. Papyrus suddenly remembered his brother and felt dread creep up his bones.

“Run, Sans! RUN!”

But Sans grinned while Undyne walked toward him, spear in hand. His hands were still in his pockets as she pulled her spear, readying to lunge at him. Before he could call to his brother again to flee, the spearhead flashed toward him.

Instead of seeing the weapon pierce him, Papyrus saw Sans step out of the way in a blur of movement. Undyne seemed just as surprised as he was, momentarily stunned by the motion. She quickly recovered and followed up with a side swipe. This time he ducked under, effortlessly keeping his grin aimed directly at her and even winked at her.

“Whatcha you aimin’ at, cyclops?” He asked with his smuggest smile.

Undyne growled and continued her attack. Papyrus winced as she made strike after strike, each time only narrowly missing their mark. But Sans avoided each attack all the same. Even when she began summoning more spears and plunging them toward her target, he moved side to side, up and down, evading every attack with relative ease. Each time Undyne seemed to force her attacks to come faster, and Sans would always meet that challenge. He wasn’t even fighting back, not that it would do much damage to her even if he landed one. Every so often he’d make a taunting remark about her like calling her ginger or suggesting she keep her “eye on him.”

It was soon that Papyrus caught on to his tactic. Baiting out Undyne’s strength to wear her out over time. He had to admit it wasn’t a bad tactic. The armor would weigh her down and she was very prone to anger, wasting her magical and physical attacks on stones rather than her target.

But Sans didn’t know Undyne the way Papyrus did. She wore that suit of armor nearly everyday for years, wearing it like it was made of silk. And even when she eventually became tired, that only seemed to make her fight with even greater effort. Not to mention, if she started using green magic on him…

Papyrus really needed to break out of her spell.

But no matter how he tried, his legs were pinned to the ground. He leaned forward, peering over to where Undyne and Sans were fighting. It was an awkward position; he wouldn’t be doing significant damage from where he was. But if he was persistent enough, he may be able to break her focus enough to free himself.

With a wave of his hands, he sent a dozen red bones sailing toward her. Most of them landed on the floor or wall, but a couple struck their mark. Undyne flinched, but her hand remained poised to keep him still. He attacked again, this time bringing bones from the earth. She avoided it, leaving her open to one of Sans’s attacks. Although it didn’t damage her, it did seem to knock her off balance for a moment. If they kept the pressure going, Papyrus would be able to free himself.

His hopes were swiftly crushed as Undyne turned around and flung her spear at him. Her precision was masterful, striking his wrist before he could react. The spear embedded itself into his right wrist, pinning it to the wall behind him. He tried to break free, but the spear was stuck fast. He tried pulling harder before realizing his legs were free. He looked back to the fight between Undyne and her brother.

She had him pinned with her green magic.

“Sans!”

Papyrus reached out with his free hand, shaping it into half a heart. His hand glowed blue and he directed that energy at Undyne, poised to strike at his brother. Her strike was interrupted as he made a firm pull with his magic, flinging her toward him. He swiped the spear pinning him as hard as he could, fading the weapon into mist. Undyne was getting up when he returned his attention onto her. Once more, he focused his blue magic onto her, this time slamming her onto the ground. Before she could recover, he made an upward motion, summoning three blue bones from right beneath her. Her arms and chest were pinned from the blue attacks.

Papyrus breathed heavily, slowly feeling his adrenaline ease off him. He looked over at Sans, who broke free from Undyne’s spell. He was on his knees, breathing much harder than he was. Relief washed over him, seeing his brother alive and well.

It turned into dread as Undyne broke free.

She tore through the attacks pinning her down like a mad animal, grunting from the pain of it. Papyrus tried to summon more bones to stop her, but she rolled away before they met. She threw a spear at him, glowing yellow and humming with energy. He cursed to himself as he instinctively tried to block the attack, realizing too late it was a different kind of attack. She called it a “Hornet Spear,” an attack that would go around it’s target. He narrowly stepped to the side, feeling the spear tear his left side with another metallic scrape.

His fingers curled to unleash another blue magic attack, hurling her to the wall. Her body twisted before it could collide with the wall, planting her feet firmly before leaping off of it. She was almost close enough to strike with another spear in her hand before he threw her upwards at the last minute. Rubies showered from the ceiling as she crashed above. He stared up at her, keeping her in place with his spell.

He didn’t notice the ground glowing red underneath him.

A dozen spears burst from below, shooting straight above. Half of them met their mark, leaving Papyrus scathed. Several of them scraped against his bone from several areas, while he felt one of them tear a chunk of bone from somewhere in his ribcage. His posture failed, and Undyne began to descend from above. She landed with a loud _thump_ from the weight of her armor and ran after Papyrus.

Her hands grabbed his head before he could stop her and slammed it against the ground. He heard a dull crack from inside his skull when she slammed him again. She then lifted him by his collar and pulled her right hand into a fist. Her fist crashed against the side of his jaw, almost breaking it from the impact. She held him up for a moment, as though considering pummeling him until he was just dust on her gloves and boots.

She let him go, allowing him to collapse onto the ground with a dull thud. He watched as Undyne slowly approached Sans. His brother tried to run before she curled the fingers of her left hand and kept him there. Sans tried to throw dozens of red bones after her, but she ignored each harmless attack as she approached him.

Papyrus lay helplessly as he watched her slowly approach his brother. Dread filled him, realizing without his intervention, Sans would die. His worst fears would be realized if he didn’t do something right now. But Undyne was too powerful, and even clever tactics weren’t enough to slow her monstrous advance.

There was only one way to stop her now. It had been lingering in the back of his head for the entire fight, tempting him to use this power. He resisted like he always did before, but now it was roaring in his head. It seemed to talk to him, reminding him that Undyne would stop at nothing to kill him and his brother. He felt tears form in his sockets, pleading with himself to come up with any other way of saving his brother, even if it involved his own death.

But his mind was made up when she picked his brother up by the collar of his shirt.

With every effort left inside of him, Papyrus stood up and faced Undyne. His hands closed together, then formed them into the shape of a heart. Undyne was pulling her arm back, readying to punch.

No sooner did his hands glow blue than Undyne suddenly stopped moving.


	5. Puppet

Undyne had stopped midswing, her fist a foot away from Sans’s face. She tried moving it, but it remained motionless. It felt as though her muscles were pulling back in response to every motion she tried to make. She could only move her eye from side to side, wondering what was happening to her.

Without her other hand relaxed, allowing Sans to fall from her grip. What was happening to her? Fear was starting to grip her like a cold chill. _I can’t move!_ She screamed in her mind, but not even her lips would move. Wherever she tried to focus her movement – her head, her chest, arms, legs, feet, hands, toes, fingers, nothing would move.

Then she suddenly began to reach for her gauntlet, shivering as she slowly started to pull it apart. There were straps keeping them in place, and she had a hard time pulling them apart. But she had put on her armor hundreds of times. She knew how to put it on and off in the dark without anyone’s help. Eventually, both her gauntlets were off, revealing a pair of soft, scaled hands and wrists.

For some reason she grabbed her elbow with one of her hands, pulling it against her elbow. _No_ , she thought. Somehow, she realized what her body was trying to do, and she tried to do everything she could to stop it. No no no no no-

Her left elbow snapped. Pain flared from the spot, and she could only look at how horribly bent out of place it was. Her heart was beating a million times a minute as she turned and started walking toward a wall. Without meaning to, she clenched her fist tightly and pulled her arm back. She struck at the wall as hard as she could. Chunks of debris flew from the punch, and left light scratches on her knuckles. She then struck again, and again, each as hard as the first. Her body forced her to look at her knuckles, shattered with chunks of stone stuck between scales.

 _Please stop_. She had no idea who was doing this to her or why. _Just please stop_. She felt like a child when she lost her eye, the day she felt she would never be terrified again after. She wanted to cry. Oh god she wanted to cry.

She squatted on the ground and twisted her legs in ways she would never desire. Her right foot pressed hard against the side of her left kneecap. She soon heard a snap and she fell on the ground, unable to even writhe from the pain.

Her hands reached for her helmet and she feared the worst. Slowly her crippled limbs began to unfasten her helmet and lift it from her face. She felt cool winds blow against her hot, sweating face. To her horror, her hand started to slowly go over her right eye. _No_! Her thumb extended and gently pressed against her eyelid. _No no no! Stop! Stop_! Her thumb pushed a little harder. _Stop it, please_! A little harder. _I don’t want to be blind! I’ll never see her again_! Her eye was beginning to hurt.

 _Please_.

Her hand started to shake before suddenly, she realized she was pulling her hand away. She then realized it was _she_ who had pulled her hand back. Her mouth was open and breathing heavily as she stared at her broken hand. The pain was unbearable with her shattered hand, her broken arm and kneecap. But she could see. Thank god, she could see.

A small amount of relief washed over her before the pain made her unconscious.


	6. What are Friends For?

Undyne was numb when she woke up, lying in a soft mattress. When she opened her eye, her vision swayed from side to side like she was drunk. Maybe she had been, since her head pounded like she had a hangover. She tried to reach to rub her head, but her arms wouldn’t move. When she looked down, she found her arms and legs restrained by rope.

Panic was starting to creep up on her before she heard a loud snoring sound. To her left, Sans was leaning against a wardrobe. When she took the time to examine her surroundings, the only other objects in the room were a lamp on the wardrobe, a treadmill in the corner, and an old mattress she laid upon. There weren’t even any sheets on the mattress, and she was covered with a thin, cheap blanket.

Sans snorted awake and looked as though he’d drift back to sleep before he turned and saw her. His smile widened. “Heh, finally awake, eh?” His hands were buried in his pockets, which he now pulled out and put them behind his head while crossing his legs. It still looked uncomfortable, but she had to admit he pulled it off. He saw her squirming in her restraints. “Yeah, boss and I don’t really trust you yet after what happened. Just a little insurance that you don’t cause damage in our own home. How did you sleep?”

Undyne suddenly remembered the events from last night and felt sore spots from all over her body under the numb feeling. She remembered the agony her body felt right before losing consciousness, pain she didn’t feel even Asgore was capable of inflicting. She didn’t think too much about the situation at the time – being distracted from the agony and shock of it all – but she realized who was likely responsible.

“What the hell did you do to me?” She asked.

Sans turned to look at her, studying her expression with mild interest. He seemed to see something interesting in whatever she was showing but made no comment on it. “Welp, I called you a cyclops.” He answered. “I also dodged your attacks, spouted off a few more insults your way, combed my hair, had some mu-“

“You know damn well what I mean!” She wanted to punch the little mischievous imp. Rope was the only thing refraining her from doing so, so she elected to give him her best glare.

He had the audacity to smile at that. “I didn’t do the thing you think I did, if that’s what you’re thinking.” His eyes seemed to absorb her puzzled expression before continuing. “My bro used blue magic on you.”

He was surely still toying with him, but Undyne could detect no sign of insincerity or jape from his answer. She knew both the brothers were very skilled with blue magic, the same way she was with green magic. Their magic allowed them to grab a hold of a person’s soul and change their direction of gravity. Whatever happened to her last night, there was no way it could be blue magic.

Sans seemed to sense her skepticism and went on. “I ain’t pulling your leg, captain. My bro is very talented when it comes to blue magic. He found out that when you concentrate enough with it, you can control the body of the soul he has hold of.” He shrugged. “Hell if I know how he does it. All I can do is bounce people around like they were a rubber ball. Amusing, for sure, but not always effective.”

Undyne’s eye widened. She wouldn’t believe what he was saying if she hadn’t experienced it first hand herself. To think Papyrus had that much power over her, and for so long. _How long did he know how to do that?_

“Welp, I wish I could say I’m glad you asked.” Had she voiced her thought aloud? She didn’t remember, but her mind was still a little groggy. “Let me give you the short version. When my bro and I were younger, we met another monster, a very unfriendly monster. We tried to fight back, but we were helpless. When he was standing over him, Paps used blue magic. All he wanted was for the big guy to stop, leave us alone and never bother us again.” She noticed his smile was starting to look forced. “He made the big guy hang himself.

“As you can imagine, it was pretty traumatic for Paps at the age he was. He vowed never to use that kind of power again, and he even stopped using blue magic as a whole for a long time. For years he trained using his regular magic so that he would never have to do ‘that’ ever again. Also got it in his head that people gave the Royal Guard respect, enough that if he became one, no one would ever bother us again.” He gave a short bark of laughter. “He got quite the revelation when you and the king hired him, let me tell you.”

Undyne was silent as Sans told her about his brother. She had never known much about Papyrus before, always seeing him as another monster who had ambition and wanted to move up on the food chain. Now it made sense why he wanted to stay as a patrolman in Snowdin, one of the least active regions in the kingdom. Peace was all he wanted.

“I… I’m sorry.” She said. “I never knew.”

Sans slowly nodded. “Course you didn’t. Why would you have cared?”

She felt bad from his response but remained silent. “Lemme give you some advice.” Sans said. “I know it ain’t easy, but try to see Paps the same way you did before. I used to be pretty terrified of him too when we were still little baby bones after what he did. It took a long time for me to see him normally. You don’t need to make everything go back to normal tomorrow, just try is all I’m asking.”

Undyne remembered how her body moved last night. It didn’t feel at all like she was being controlled, but like she was moving of her own free will. Like she wanted to break her own arm, fist, and kneecap. Like there was a part of her begging her to stop, but another that egged her on. It was sickening for her to remember.

“What’s going to happen,” Sans continued. “is that one day, you’ll wake up, take a shower, have some breakfast, brush your teeth, put on your armor, and step outside for another day of work. Then you’ll stop and realize you never thought of last night once. When you realize you can forget, you’re ready to move on.” He shrugged. “Or so they tell me.”

Undyne tried to think of what it must have been like for Sans when the two brother grew up together. He must’ve always been in his brother’s shadow since that fateful day, since he could never get stronger from higher LV. His brother would work so hard to keep both of them safe, and he could do nothing to contribute himself.

There were only a few times in her life when she ever felt like this, but she felt sorry for them.

“By the way,” Sans said. “I was hoping I might ask you something.” He gave a thoughtful stare in her direction, just shy from being a threatening glare. “Was there a particular reason you were desperately trying to kill me last night?”

Undyne thought back to the last conversation she and Papyrus had. What was supposed to be a proposition turned into a heated argument. He even assumed she had been looking to confess some undying love toward him. She still found that funny even if the rest of the conversation after turned out to be unpleasant.

When he left, it was one of the first times she had cried in a long time. She felt like she had lost the only companion she could count on, and she was all alone. She wanted him back, desperately. Looking back, her decision was rash and reckless and was ultimately a poor choice on her part. But at the time, she didn’t think there was any other way.

“I did it,” she started to answer. “because he was right. Papyrus was right, I don’t have anything to lose.” She noticed Sans leaned only slightly closer, seeming to be interest in what she was saying. She continued. “You can’t possibly understand what becoming a guard is like for most members. They take us away from our families before we even have the chance to remember their faces. Then they take all of us to meet Asgore personally. We’re all still children and he kills several of us and we don’t even get to know why. And if anyone objects or tells him that he’s wrong, he picks them up and jabs his thumb in their-“

“It’s okay, you don’t need to finish.” Undyne suddenly realized she was close to crying again. Her lost left eye showed her the ghost of the last thing it saw. She would have remembered so much more had Sans not laid a skeletal hand gently on her shoulder, seeming to remind her all of that was over now.

She gulped before continuing. “I don’t have any family, Sans. No friends, or anyone I can count on. So when I see how Papyrus works so hard, does everything he can so that you are safe…” she was struggling to put her thoughts into words now. “I thought that if I made it so that he had nothing to lose to, he would help me. I know that if he and I worked together, we could finally kill Asgore.”

“And what do you suppose would happen then?” Sans gave her a hard look while still having that smile. There was an undertone that also asked, “did you really think any of this through?” She had an answer but was ashamed and embarrassed to admit it.

She turned her head away, unable to look Sans in the socket.

Sans sighed. “Look, I don’t have to tell you he didn’t mean what he said back there. Hell, he’s been checking on you every ten minutes since we brought you over here. So might be he’ll get the chance to tell you himself.”

Undyne snapped her attention to the door, where she heard footsteps slowly coming closer. Sans grinned. “Speak of the devil. I’ll leave you two to it.” She saw him close his eyesockets and start snoring quick as that. She didn’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted.

The door creaked open and she snapped her attention to Papyrus as he entered the room. He saw her and she saw the briefest look of joy and relief on his face. It hardened just as quickly when Undyne flinched, and he looked like he saw something on her face that shamed him. They were both silent for a long time, the only sound being the gentle breathing Sans made while he slept.

Undyne was the first to speak. “Listen, I’m-“

“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Papyrus interrupted. “We don’t talk about what happened last night. _Ever_.” She could detect venom from his last word and couldn’t help feeling frightened. But after that one lapse in reaction a moment ago, she was doing everything in her power to make sure he didn’t see it.

“And our last conversation didn’t happen either.” He went on. “If anyone asks, you called me over to tell me how proud you are to be a Royal Guardswoman and that you think our king is the greatest in the whole world. If they don’t believe that, you called me to confess your love to me, to which I politely and humbly declined.”

“What!?” Undyne felt her cheeks grow hot red. “But I never-“

She stopped when Papyrus raised a hand. In her time in the guard, she knew there were times to stop your tongue from wagging. Though she never would have thought she would have to do it in Papyrus’s presence. He gave her a cold glare, telling her that he still had something to say and that she shouldn’t speak until he was finished.

She swallowed her pride along with her words and let him continue speaking.

“I said some things last night.” Papyrus went on. “Things, I noticed, that made you upset. I confess I wasn’t entirely honest last night, so know that what I say now is nothing but truthful.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I meant what I said when I had something to lose. I have the house I grew up in, I have Sans, my brother and the only family I have,” he paused, giving her a careful look. “and you, my only friend.”

Undyne’s eye widened at the word, and she would have recoiled if she weren’t tied up. Did he really just call her his friend? Unlike the assumption that she had romantic interest in him, she wasn’t amused by the idea. But what could have given him the assumption that they were friends? It was this very question that led her to another: Were they friends?

“So, when I first heard your proposition,” Papyrus continued. “I was… frightened that I would lose all of those things. I can’t stop you from one guardsman to another, but I hope to convince you from one friend to another.” He nodded. “So there, that’s that.”

He turned around and started heading for the door. Undyne stared after him for a moment before remembering her predicament. “Hey!” She called out. “Aren’t you going to untie me!?”

Papyrus stopped as he opened the door and looked back at her. “Gerson says you need at least another day’s rest for you to recover. I don’t trust you to take care of yourself on your own, so you’re going to be tied up like that for the day.”

“Well where are you going?”

“I have guardly duties to attend to.”

“You can’t just leave me here!”

“Sure I can.” He replied. He stepped out the door and waved her off. “Besides, you won’t be left alone. Sans will stay to take care of you.”

Oh dear lord.

“Yup, just you and me captain.” Undyne nearly jumped out of her own skin at Sans’s sudden interjection. It sounded like he had woken up mid-snore. “Oh, don’t give me that look. We’ll have a great time, you and me. I’m told I have a terrific sense of humor.”

“Papyrus!” Undyne called as she heard his footsteps getting further away.

“Why did the blind man not order the fish?” Sans asked.

“Papyrus get back here!”

“Cause he can’t seafood.”

Undyne felt a little bit of her soul die. “Papyrus if you leave me here, I promise I’ll make your life a living hell!”

“I love you too.” Sans commented.


	7. Epilogue

“O-oh my god. I’ve never seen th-th-that much power over blue magic before. P-Papyrus is clearly much stronger than w-we realized. With that kind of power, he-he might… I mean, m-maybe he could…”

Asgore ignored Alphys’s comments but had to agree. Seeing the footage on the screen was very enlightening to the skeleton’s magical aptitude. And although Alphys was too cowardly to voice all of her thoughts in his presence, he knew exactly what she was insinuating. That kind of power could overthrow him easily.

He ignored the doctor’s nervous flinch as he leaned closer, observing Papyrus’s technique. Even without the use of blue magic, he was an incredibly capable fighter. He was standing toe to toe against his own prodigy and successor, Undyne, and he could walk off most of the damage he took. The blue magic gave him the edge he needed, but Asgore was sure if given the proper “guidance,” he could surpass her in combat.

“Are there others who know?” He asked.

Alphys was shaking and he frowned. It wasn’t uncommon for any monster, especially her, to be nervous in his presence. But he still saw the signs. Even in such a short time away from her narcotics, she was suffering symptoms of withdrawal. Her habits were of no concern to him, so long as she performed the tasks he gave her and didn’t indulge herself in his presence. No doubt she will give herself quite the fix the moment he left.

“N-no.” She answered. “Th-they went to Gerson, probably to h-help… heal…” She’d look away everytime his gaze went to her.

He suspected Gerson would be involved. He took a special interest in Undyne’s well being ever since Asgore took her eye all those years ago. It was he who convinced him to train her and mold her into what she is today. He doubted his old friend knew anything about Papyrus’s special abilities. And all other evidence showed no one else were wise to this power either.

“They believe his abilities are still secret.” He said quietly, almost as a whisper. “They will continue to do so.” He looked at Alphys. “Have the brothers monitored, I want to know more about them.”

Alphys had the audacity to look at him with confusion. “B-but, your majesty…” Whatever her objections were, one hard look from him was enough for her to forget all about them. She submissively looked back to her monitor. “Y-yes, your m-majesty.”

Predictable.

He looked back to the monitor, observing the fight at a different angle. For years he was a teacher to Undyne, a cruel father he had hoped she would surpass one day and claim his throne. He remembered years ago when she swore she would kill him, he had laughed. When she asked why, years later, he told her that on the day she is able to kill him, she would be something far worse than he is. And he couldn’t wait to see it.

But looking at Papyrus – that cold, calculating cruelty hidden by his intimidating demeanor – was enough to convince him that maybe he should “expand” his possibilities. He could almost smile, seeing how he knew which pressure points to make Undyne strike. The vicious attitude of it, and somehow he knew she felt every impact. And the way he nearly made her jab out her own eye, was enough to make him proud for his capacity for cruelty, even if the skeleton didn’t practice it as much as he’d like. He would make Asgore a very proud king.

A very proud father.

But there would be time for all that another day. For now, Papyrus, Undyne, Sans, felt that they were all safe from him. How wrong they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since I wrote anything, but have been hard at work for the past week on something I've had in mind for awhile now. Although I don't have the best writing habit yet, I hope to slowly improve every day to fulfill my dream of being a published author. To that end, I've been thinking of doing more of these and also on editing finished works. Underfell is perhaps my favorite AU with the story potential and character backstory I see in it. And thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. If you like what you've seen, be sure to leave a comment or kudos and tell me what you think. Have a blessed day.


End file.
